Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus.



D. R. MBHAFFEY. RAILWAY BALLAST HANDLING AND CLEANING APPARATUS.

.APPLIOATION FILED JULY 10, 1908.

W/rqsssss 701i @DBM/ PATENTED SEP'I. 3, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A framers.

PATENTED SEPT. 3, 190'7.

` D. R. MBHAFFEY. RAILWAYDALLAST HANDLING AND CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLIoA'rIor FILED JULY 1o, 190e.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

o@ INVENT? TTHNEYJ Mln/isses: V

PATENT omnes.

DAVID MEHAFFEY, PHILADELPHIL,PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY BALLAST HANDLING- AND CLEANING-i APPARATUS.'

Specification of Letters Patent.

yPatenten sept. 3, 1907.

Application filed July 10, 1906. Serial No. 325,504.

To ally whom it 'may concern: i

Be it known that I, DAVID R. MEHAFFEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Railway Ballast Handling and Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to largely or wholly dispense with hand labor in the operations of removing the ballast from the ditch between a pair of railroad tracks, cleaning said ballast, and returning it to the ditch. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which v Figure 1 is a'view, showing, partly in elevation and partly in section, the essential features of apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention for removing, cleaning and returning railroad ballast; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

In order to maintain inproper condition the track ballast of a line of railway, it becomes necessary at times to remove from the ditch between adjoining tracks the ballast which has become fouled or clogged with dirt and cinders, and after cleaning the ballast to return it to the ditch, and heretofore these operations of removing, cleaning and restoring theballast have been performed by handfand have, in consequence, been slow and expensive l The purpose of my inventionis to effect .the desired result by means of power-actuated mechanism which is practically automatic in its operation, hand labor being almost, if not quite, eliminated, and the operations being therefore performed with a minimum expenditure of time and labor.

The entire apparatus is mounted upon a suitably wheeled platform, which may resemble an ordinary fiat car or box car and which is adapted to run upon a track alongside of the ditch if the ballast of but a single ditch is to be handled, or upon the track between a pair of ditches if the.ballast of both ditches is to be handled simultaneously, the latter type of apparatus being illustrated in the drawings. l

The wheeled platform-1 may be drawn along theA track by a locomotive, or it nay be provided with inotive power apparatus whereby it is self-propelled, as

vshown in the drawing, and the same or additional inoings is intended for handling simultaneously the ballast A of a pair of ditches, one set of excavating and elevating apparatus being employed at each side of the car, but as both sets of apparatusare alike, a description-of one will suiiice, in fact, my invention, in its simpler form, contemplates the use of but one set of such apparatus, and the handling ofthe ballast of but a single ditch at a time.

Upon suitable framework projecting from the side of the car are rotatably mounted two pairs of drums 2 and 3, which carry endless chain or belt bucket excavators 4 and 5, the rear drum of each pair being located at a point above the level of the track, and the foremost drum of each pair being at a lower level in order that the endless chain of buckets passing round the same may reach to the bottom of the ditch between the tracks. It is preferable (that the said forward drums of the pair be mounted so as to be adjustable in order that the excavators may be raised into an inoperative position when it is desiredto moveA the car from place'to place without disturbing the ballast. By preference, y

vere duty for which it is intended. This disposition of the `excavators necessitates the employment of some means for removing the ballast from that half of the ditch which is furthest from the car side and the placing of the ballast thus displaced in the path of the rear excavator, and for this purpose I prefer to use one or more plows 6 carried by a frame or frames projecting from the side of the car and rigidly braced, but preferably adi justable in order to lift the plows to inoperative position when it is desired to move the car from place to place without disturbing the ballast.

In the present instance I have shown a pair of plows located in difieren-t transverse and longitudinal planes in order to divide the'work between them, and thereby lessen the strain to which each plow is subjected. A single plow may, however, be employed if desired, or plowing, devices independent of the rear excavator may be dispensed with if said rear excavator is mounted at such a distance from the car side that it does not follow in the path of the forward-excavator, or is diagonally mounted so that its forward or digging end is thus disposed, 'or in some cases a single excavator of the full width of the trench may be employed. It is preferable, however, to use a plurality oi excavators `in order to lessen the strain upon them, although each the bottom portion oi said mass.l f

When the ballast is hard and compact, as for instance when there is a considerable quantity of loam or'clay mixed with it, as is likely to be the case when it has not been cleaned for `several years, it may be necessary to employ, in advance of the iirst excavator some preliminary breaking or loosening device such as a light plow,

a toothed wheel, or the like.

Either or both of the drums of each excavator may be positively driven by suitable gearing from the prime motor on the car, one of the drums of the forward excavator being shown as driven in this way. Each excavator discharges-the contents of its buckets into the receiving leg or boot of an elevating conveyer 7 suitably mounted upon the car structure and driven from the same prime motor which drives the excavators, or independently thereof, as desired, and each elevating conveyer delivers into a hopper or chute which discharges into the upper end of an inclined rotary screen 8, the tailings from the lower end of the latter being received by a hopper 9 which has diverging spouts l0 whereby the ballast, freed from its dirt by the rotary screen, .is returned to the ditch ata point rearwardly oi that from which it has just been removed, any suitable form of deflector being, if desired, located at the delivery end of the spout for the purpose oi spreading the ballast.

When two elevating conveyers and two screens are employed, eachscreen may, if desired, discharge its tailings into a special hopper, and instead of each hopper having a forked spout, it may have but a single spout, one spout discharging into one ditch and the other spout discharging into the other ditch, or the spouts discharging into different portions of the same ditch when the ballast of but a single ditch ,is being handled. I

When the ballast of a pair of ditches is being handled, each of the rotary screens may receive the discharge from a pair of conveyers 7, as shown in Fig. 2, or each conveyer may have its own screen if desired.

The matter passing through the meshes of the screen is received upon the upper run of an endless conveyer -11 extending longitudinally beneath the screens and projecting from the rear end of the caras shown in Fig.

l, so as to'discharge into afollowing car 13 of the gon-` dola type, the lower run ofthe conveyer being, by preference, provided with a depending loop passing around loWing car, I may collect the dirt passing through the meshes of each screen in a suitable hopper .or other receptac'le and project it laterally therefrom into the flanking ditch or ditches of the track by means of al "vblastpi air, steam, or other fluid under pressure.

I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate the mechanism whereby the various members of the apparatus are driven, as such mechanism forms nomaterial part of my invention, and maybe modified in many lways without departing therefrom.

cavator or excavators employed that the same will also serve as elevating conveyers for carrying the excafvated material to the screen or screens, vin which case, of course, no special elevating conveyers will be vneeded, and on the other hand, the excavators `might in some cases be dispensed with and the ballast shoveled by hand into the boot of the elevator.

1. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying means for breaking out the ballast an excavator for removing the dirty ballast from the ditch, a 4screen for cleaningsaid ballast, und means for returning the cleaned ballast to the I claim;-

ditch.

2. Railway ballast handling and cleaningl apparatus cornprisingl a wheeled car or other support carrying means for' breaking out the ballast a screen for cleaning the ballast. means for conveying the dirty ballast to said screen, and means for returning the cleaned ballast to the ditch.

3. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying means for breaking out the ballast a screen for cleaning the ballast, means for conveying-'the dirty ballast to said screen, and

means for independently disposing of the tailings from the screen and ot the material which passes through the meshes of the-screen.

,4. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying a screen for cleaning the ballast, means for conveying the dirty` terial which passes through the meshes of thel screen and means for extending and contracting. said conveyer'.

6. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car` or other support cari-ying a screen for cleaning the ballast, means for conveying the dirty ballast to said screen, means for returni `g the cleaned ballast to the ditch, an endless conveyer foi receiving the material which passes through the meshes of the screen, and means whereby said conveyer delivers its load at a Apoint outside of the car which carries the screening mechanism.

7. Railway ballast handling apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying, at one side. a -plurality of excavatorsfonevin advance of the other, for rmoving the dirty ballast from the ditch.

8. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying, at one side, a plurality of excavators. one in advance of the other, for removing the dirty ballast from the ditch, a screen for cleaning said ballast, and means for returning the cleaned ballast to the ditch.

il. Railway ballast handling apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying, at one side, a plurality of excavators Afor removing the dirty ballast from the ditch, each of said excavators being of less width than the width of the ditch containing,r the ballast.

10. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled caror other support carrying. at ,one

side, a plurality of excavators for removing the dirty ballast from thel ditch. each of said excavators being of less width than the width of the ditch containing;r the ballast, a screen for cleaning the ballast, and means for returning the cleaned ballast to the ditch.

11. Railway ballast handling apparatus comprising a wheeled car or othersupport carrying, at one side, a plurality of excavators disposed one in advance of another', for removingtlie dirty ballast from the ditch, each of said sxcavators being of less width than the width of said ditch.

12. Railway ballastI handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying, at one side, a plurality of excavators disposed one in advance of another, for removing the dirty ballast from the ditch, each of said excavators being of lessl width than the width of said ditch, a screen for cleaning the ballast, and means for returning the cleaned ballast to the ditch.

13. Railway ballast handling apparatus comprisinga wheeled car or other support carrying, at one side, a plurality of excavators disposed one in advance of another, and in the same path, for removing the dirty' ballast from the ditch, each ot said excavators being( of a Width less than the width of the ditch, and means for displacing the ballast untouchedby the leading excavator' and throwing the same into the path of the following'excavator.

14, Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus 'comprising a v'vheeled car or other support carrying, at one side, a plurality of excavators disposed one in advance of another, and in the same path, for removing the dirty ballast from the ditch, each of said excavators being of a4 width lessthan the width of the ditch, means for displac ing the ballast untouched by the `leading excavator and throwing the same into the path of the following excavator, a screen forcleaning the ballast, and means for returning the cleaned ballast to the ditch.

l5. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying anexcavator for removing the dirty ballast from the ditch, a screen for cleaning the ballast, an elevating belt.conveyer interposed between the excavator and `tl1e,screen, and` means for returning the cleaned ballast to the ditch.

16. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying means for breaking out the ballast a plurality of excavators for vremoving the dirty ballast, a plurality-0f screens for cleaning said ballast, and means for 'returning the cleaned ballast.

17. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus. comprising a wheeled car or other support carrying means forbreaking out the ballast a`p1nrality of excavators for removing the dirty ballast, a plurality of screens, one coperating with each excavator for cleaning the ballast, and ine-ans for returning the cleaned ballast.

'18. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support having at each side,fmeans for breaking out the ballast one or more excavators for removing the dirtyballnst from the ditches, one or more screens for cleaning the ballast, and means for returning the cleaned ballast.

1). Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising a wheeled car or other support having apluralityof excavators for removing the dirty ballast. a plurality of screens for cleaning the ballast. :1nd means conlmon to bothscreens for returning the cleaned ballast.

20. Railway ballast handling and cleaning apparatus comprising awheeled car or other support having n plurality of excavators for removing the dirty ballast. :1 screen, common tosaid plurality ot' excavators. for clean- `ing the ballast, and means for returning the cleaned y DAVID R. MEHAFFEY.

vWitnesses:

I-LxuiLToN D. TURNER,

KATE A. Bri/mba. 

